Editorial: Thousand Oaks scoots past transparency

Electric scooters will soon be coming to the streets of Thousand Oaks, and for city government’s sake, we sure hope they’re a success.

Because in one of the more perplexing examples of nontransparency we’ve seen in local government lately, city officials last week approved the scooters with little input from the residents they represent. And if things go bad — as they have in some other towns — city officials will have no one to blame but themselves.

The Thousand Oaks City Council unanimously approved an interim agreement allowing Bird Rides Inc. to bring its rental scooters to town. Thousand Oaks is the first city in Ventura County to allow the electric scooters, which have stirred controversy in other areas as some riders ignore the rules and pose safety risks for pedestrians and themselves. The city of Ventura temporarily banned them in October.

We won’t editorialize on the merits of the scooters. Perhaps all the riders in Thousand Oaks will angelically abide by the rules, and if they don’t, police officers will quickly get them back in line. And if all else fails, city officials say, they can just revoke Bird’s agreement.

What’s seems odd to us is why the issue was put on the City Council’s Nov. 27 “consent” agenda, which is designed for noncontroversial items that can be rubber-stamped with no discussion.

Councilwoman Claudia Bill-de la Peña pulled the item off that agenda because she had a question, but the ensuing discussion was brief. City officials later explained their decision to put it on the consent agenda by essentially saying, well, there’s been no controversy here yet because there are no scooters here yet. And that the public just needs to trust their negotiating skills with Bird.

We find this quick and quiet approval of scooters a bit strange in a city with a long history of promoting pedestrian safety loudly and seriously. The Thousand Oaks Police Department routinely holds special enforcement operations against jaywalkers and drivers who don’t stop for pedestrians. Police have even had plain­clothes deputies walk back and forth in crosswalks to nail such drivers.

It’s ironic that the city staff report to the council Nov. 27 noted that some scooter companies got into trouble when they “entered communities with little or no advanced warning.” Perhaps Thousand Oaks should apply that lesson to its own council agendas.

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